


the first bite

by crispytoasty



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Meet-Cute, jiu is a famous baker, pastry, siyeon is just there vibing, sua is her fangirl and a baker herself, suayeon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:07:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24407020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crispytoasty/pseuds/crispytoasty
Summary: A large egg, a teaspoon of vanilla extract,  two and a half tablespoons of sugar...Kim Bora knows how to follow recipes down to the most exact of measurements. She knows when the esteemed pastry chef Kim Minji is going to do a live show in her town. She knows the difference between clafoutis and flaugnarde. She does not know how to talk to the pretty girl she just met waiting in line at Kim Minji’s bakery: the girl whose name is Lee Siyeon, the girl whose voice flows as though it was sweetened with honey.
Relationships: Kim Bora | SuA/Lee Siyeon
Comments: 20
Kudos: 108





	the first bite

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by an idea I had in high school, which in turn was inspired by the legendary pastry chef Dominique Ansel. Most of the menu items in this are actually from his bakery in New York. 
> 
> This is my first time ever writing fic, and my first time in a long time writing...anything...so hope you enjoy/let me know what you think! tw: @coastalcityruin

Since Kim Bora had been in high school and first got into baking, she had always been a fervent follower of the famous patissier Kim Minji. Minji’s melodic voice from various television baking specials and online videos guided Bora through many a croquembouche, canelé, and kouign-amann, and her fridge was plastered with clip outs from the professional baker’s features in Bon Appetit and Saveur Magazine, among countless others. Any of the young woman’s friends could detail Bora’s passion in the kitchen, as well as the perks that come with being close to a baker. Her fridge was often stuffed to the brim with the remains from countless experiments, and her often frenzied 3 AM baking sessions often kept her fed throughout the week.

So when the master patissier Kim Minji announced earlier that week that she was opening a bakery in _Bora’s_ hometown this Saturday, it came as no surprise what Bora’s weekend plans would be.

It was only almost 7 AM and already the line snaked around the block; impassioned foodies and dedicated fans, the curious and the hungry alike, all bundled up in thick layers to block out the early February morning chill. But Bora had anticipated this, her preparation landing her a spot near the front of the line. Waking up at four in the morning was no easy task, but she knew bakeries always opened early for the morning crowd, and to support Kim Minji, she would join them. Her tiny gloved hands clutched a hand warmer as she peeked into the window to take a look at the chic, modern interior. The counters and walls were a bright white, the color bringing to mind delicate powdered sugar and glazed frostings. Employees tended to various parts of the store, dressed in crisp cream uniforms which starkly contrasted with their black aprons. Bora could make out the bakery logo intricately embroidered with gold thread on the center of their aprons, reminiscent of gold leaf on a dark berry tinted cake.

Suddenly, Bora spotted a flash of purple out of the corner of her eye.The figure made her way out of the back rooms, seeming to glide over the roast coffee-colored flooring. There seemed to be a powerful aura around her; everywhere she went, others looked on in veneration.

The employees began to gather around her. With a smile, Minji began to speak to them, Bora barely hearing the soft murmur of her voice from outside. 

Surrounded by her employees and creations and everything she had labored to achieve, Minji looked radiant. Her expression was earnest as she spoke, and Bora found herself nodding along to the melody of Minji’s words. Then, with a quick round of applause to finish off, Minji looked up from her circle of workers where she had been so focused before, and began to walk towards the entrance. 

Bora beamed. The moment she had been waiting for finally arrived.

Minji flipped the open sign from the inside before unlocking the front door. As she made her appearance, a cheer rose up from everyone in line, and Bora felt her cheeks flush with excitement and admiration.

“Hello everyone!” Minji exclaimed loudly. 

As quickly as it came, the cheer quieted. The eager crowd looked on, not wanting to miss a single word. 

“Thank you so much for coming here today to support me and the team here at M Bakery. I truly hope you all enjoy our creations! I would like to extend my gratitude to my staff for working so hard to make our dreams a reality. We are now open for business!”

Once more, the crowd cheered with delight as Minji gave a gracious bow before returning inside to allow her employees to manage the lines and customers. Bora bounced slightly as the line surged forward. As she approached the entrance, the smells of pastry and bread wafted over her, and her stomach growled with approval. She was thankful for her spot near the entrance, as the warmth brought feeling back to her chilled fingers.

Soon enough, it was Bora’s turn to order. Hastily removing her gloves, she took in the comforting smells of sugar and baking, admiring the rows lined with croissants and cakes and more.

Bora had done her research ahead of time, so she was prepared as she made her requests to the eager eyed young girl at the counter. “One kouign-amann, a praline hazelnut tart, umm... a grapefruit vanilla panna cotta, salted caramel éclair, banana bread tiramisu and...a cronut, please!”. The girl nodded dutifully as the cashier rang her up when Bora suddenly heard a voice behind her.

“Aah, the cronut! That’s one of my favorites! Glad you decided to get one.” 

Bora yelped loudly and turned around just in time to see those familiar locks of purple pass her once again. She was overwhelmed for a moment, having just been noticed personally by _the_ Kim Minji. Bora stood, mesmerized by the encounter, not registering where she was or what she was doing, until she was interrupted by the now slightly irate cashier.

“Hello?” 

At this, Bora shook her head and returned her gaze to the cashier, who at this point looked as though she was about to throw a pastry box at the starstruck girl. She gave the cashier an apologetic smile and thank-you before quickly taking the box and leaving the building, unable to contain her excitement. Practically squealing with joy, Bora was still processing the interaction with her most beloved role model.

Realising the treasure she was now carrying, the gift she had received from the goddess of pastries herselves, Bora felt adrenaline shoot through her veins. She found herself running, her feet pounding against the solid concrete. She did not think in that moment of her dainty pastries, vulnerable in their box. Out of impulse, she lifted her hand, her palm open to the ever-growing line of customers outside.

Some looked on in confusion. Others even scowled, most likely due to their hunger, but Bora didn’t mind them. To her surprise though, many of the patrons reciprocated, raising their hands as she passed by, accompanied by that familiar, solid smack. With each high-five, the grin on Bora’s face broadened. She ran slightly faster, still high on excitement, when suddenly her hand caught on something.

High-five etiquette dictates that a high-five must not last longer than a few moments; it is done with a flat handed technique, no lingering, no gripping, and certainly no hand-holding. Yet perhaps this was not a universally-known rule, as Bora was suddenly stopped by a hand closing around hers.

The surprise of being touched so gently, though with an intimacy Bora had not yet known, coupled with the speed at which she had been racing down the sidewalk revoked the last bit of control that she had left.

She tumbled, shrieking as her box of treasures flew into the air. Immediately, Bora was met with the hard impact of the ground on her hands and knees. A throbbing pain emanated from her dirtied palms, and though her jeans were thick enough to avoid tears, she knew from the dampness on her knees that she was bleeding. Bora looked up to see her pastries rolling across the sidewalk, the procession of brightly colored fruit and cream on the dull, dirty sidewalk almost comical. Only the éclair had remained somewhat safe in the box, though it looked like it had suffered the wrath of a merciless god.

Bora wanted to sink even lower into the ground than she already was. She held back a wail, quickly grasping at the box though the action immediately left a painful sensation in her scraped up hands. Voices from people in the line surrounded her and she was able to pick up on some snickers, followed by variations of “Are you okay?”, yet only one set of footsteps approached.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”

Bora looked up. She was tall. Taller than her, at least. Bora could only manage a sniffle when the girl standing beside her immediately knelt down.Not knowing what to do with her hands, the girl anxiously waved them around before settling on latching onto Bora’s wrists. Bora doubled back with a start as the girl began to speak again. 

“I’m so, so, sorry, I really didn’t mean to hold onto you like that, I guess I got caught up in the excitement. Oh my god, I’m really sorry, are you okay?” 

Flustered, she let go of Bora’s wrists and tucked her own long, dark hair behind her ears, her deep brown eyes flitting up and down as she alternated looking at Bora and looking at the ground. Bora wished she hadn’t let go, as though that was the only thing keeping herself together. She found herself on the verge of tears from the humiliation, barely managing to hold back a sob. This alarmed the stranger, who started to gently pat Bora’s shoulders. The soft gesture from this stranger pushed Bora’s emotions over the edge, and the injured girl found herself unable to stop the tears from spilling out.

“Oh no, no, no, please don’t, I’m so sorry!” Bora detected panic in the gentle girl’s voice and was instantly hit with a pang of remorse for causing this kind stranger so much anxiety. She tried to ease the situation with a laugh, but it came out wrong. Instead, it caught in her throat as she tried to hold back more tears, causing her to hiccup.

Fortunately, the girl didn’t acknowledge this, and instead went on to introduce herself.

“I’m Lee Siyeon. I’m really sorry for making you fall like that, I was just really excited and you seemed so cute and happy, I guess I just got caught up in the moment!”

Realizing what she said, Siyeon’s face reddened slightly but she went on.

“Please, I know we don’t know each other but let me make it up to you. I would love to get you some replacement pastries!”

Bora felt her face grow hot at this.

“N-no it’s ok! Don’t worry! It’s not a big deal, this éclair is salvageable and honestly...honestly I can eat the rest off the floor! Five second rule right? I’m sure it’s fine!”

If her face wasn’t hot before, it was definitely burning now. _Why the hell did I say that??_ Words would not stop falling out from her mouth, but she couldn’t shut herself up.

Siyeon looked at her with amusement, before stopping Bora to say, “You know Kim Minji didn’t intend for her pastries to be eaten off the ground. Come on, let’s go.”

Bora managed a slight nod, and instantly Siyeon’s expression brightened. Seeing Siyeon’s smile relaxed Bora, but only for a second. The realization that she would be eating M Bakery desserts with this new girl almost instantly made Bora break into a sweat. She pushed aside thoughts of them feeding each other as Siyeon helped her to her feet and took the crumpled box from her hands.

As Siyeon moved to hand Bora some wet wipes, she noticed the stains on Bora’s knees. She knelt down and, despite Bora’s squawks of reassurance, rolled up the dirtied jeans to get a better look. Bora winced at the sensation of the chilly air on her bare leg and grimaced in pain as Siyeon began to clean the injury. But Siyeon’s steady hands worked quickly, and her movements had a tenderness which Bora was grateful for.

“Thank you...so much for this.” Bora squeaked, immediately cringing at her still raw voice. Siyeon bit her lip briefly before releasing it into a broad smile. “Of course, it’s the least I could do!” She tossed her long hair over her shoulders when suddenly her eyes lit up. “Ah, by the way, what’s your name?”

Bora looked up, taking in Siyeon’s round face, which she immediately likened to a croissant. The thought made her happy. She felt her normal vivacious self returning, and gave a boastful grin. “Bora! My name is Kim Bora. Nice to meet you!”.

The two made their way over to Siyeon’s spot in the line, which had thankfully been held by a polite family that stood in line behind them.

They talked for a bit, the disastrous incident left behind as the pair learned more about each other. Siyeon’s passion for singing, Bora’s preference for fruit cakes over chocolate, how they both have older siblings. Bora found herself lost in Siyeon’s hypnotic eyes and husky laugh. They bonded over Marvel movies and promised they would watch the next one together, and Bora promised to sneak some cupcakes into the theater for them both. 

Bora initiated Siyeon into the cult of the cronut, which was a hybrid between croissant and donut. She raved about how Kim Minji had spent years crafting and perfecting the treat, and how the pastry was a must-try. Surprisingly, Siyeon clung to every word, bobbing her head in assent as she listened. 

Their conversation flowed freely, and Bora found herself recounting the morning incident with Kim Mjinji to Siyeon, and how she had embarrassed herself in front of the staff. Any shame she would have originally felt vanished on hearing Siyeon’s laughter, and Bora began laughing too as she reenacted the story.

Their laughter carried over the whole block, turning many curious heads towards the spectacle of two girls howling hysterically on an otherwise dull city street. But they were in their own world with no plans to leave it any time soon. Bora was starting to really, really, really like Lee Siyeon.

As time passed, however, the early morning chill began to wear them out, and soon, quiet fell over them. Bora shivered, and found herself huddling closer to Siyeon for warmth. Realizing what she was doing, she took a step to the side, yet Siyeon’s gaze seemed to be focused on the ground in front of them. The stillness felt out of character and Bora started questioning where she had messed up, her thoughts agonizing at possible grievances she had committed. The next few minutes were spent in that same, worrisome silence. Siyeon sighed quietly, and Bora detected the near imperceptible sound of a stomach growling.

In an attempt to break the lull, Bora kicked awkwardly at the sidewalk and asked, “So, how long did you wait before I got here?” 

“About forty minutes, and I guess we’ve been here for an hour? But I suppose we still have an hour to go. At least.” 

Once again, that familiar growling noise started up, and Siyeon cleared her throat, her eyes not moving from their spot on the ground. 

“Oh, wow.”

Bora hesitated, tucking her small hands into her sleeves and twisting them around. The awkwardness made Bora sweat, even though her body was numb from the cold. For a moment she was afraid that she would lose _something_ in the hour they spent waiting together, if they kept waiting in this quiet. _Lose what?_ She thought to herself. _You just met this girl. Stop overreacting._ Still, Bora felt helpless, and was reminded of the time she nearly got kicked out of one of Kim Minji’s live baking shows for screaming so loudly. Except now, she still had a chance to take control. She was sure Siyeon had enough of her but perhaps this could still be salvageable. She turned to Siyeon and began to speak.

“Um, so-”

“Sorry if I seem weird right now. To be honest, I’m super hungry and didn’t bring any snacks to keep me going through the line” The tall girl smiled remorsefully. “I didn't want to ruin the flavors when I first tried Minji’s pastries”.

Relieved at the sudden interjection, Bora let out a thankful sigh. She looked around as if expecting a palette-cleansing granola bar to appear on the ground next to her. In reality, the only food on the ground that there was happened to be the pastry victims of her accident. The sight made Bora cringe for a moment before she finally realized that she had been carrying a box with the lone survivor the entire time.

“Oh!” Exclaiming suddenly, she outstretched her hands with their treasure towards Siyeon, an offering. “Here, eat this! I can’t believe I forgot about it.” Siyeon held up her hands in protest, but Bora didn’t relent.

“Come on, it’s an M Bakery item so it won’t be messing with your taste buds, and it’ll help keep you going until we get to the front of the line!”

Siyeon reluctantly agreed, and Bora gleefully opened the box, almost tearing it. Just as she was about to thrust the box towards Siyeon, she was stopped once again.

“But,” Siyeon gave Bora an encouraging but firm look. “You have to share it with me. And you have to take the first bite.”

To this, Bora had no opposition. To be honest, she had been hoping Siyeon would say something like that. After all, it was still one of M Bakery’s desserts that she had wanted to try, and she could sense her stomach twisting around in hunger.

“Well, sounds good to m-” Bora was immediately interrupted by Siyeon deftly swiping the éclair and shoving it into Bora’s mouth, cream and chocolate getting on her own fingers and Bora’s face.

“Mmph!” 

Once again, Siyeon caught Bora off guard. “Hey!” She exclaimed, chewing quickly, with a giddiness she hadn’t felt in so long.

Impulsively, Bora took the remaining éclair from Siyeon’s hands and unceremoniously wiped some cream on the tip of Siyeon’s nose before pushing the rest of the pastry against Siyeon’s pouty lips. She took an incredibly small bite, with a sense of dignity that flustered Bora, distracting her until it was too late. With a swift counterattack, Siyeon took some of the cream from the box with her slender fingers, and painted what felt like a heart on Bora’s cheek. Bora could feel the heat from Siyeon’s fingers, persistent even in this winter cold. The soft touch lit her face on fire and made her ache.

This made Bora blush a deep red, at which Siyeon laughed openly. “Thanks for filling in the color. Our first collaboration” she spoke as though singing, giving Bora a wink.

She then carefully wiped the éclair filling from Bora’s face, her hand placed delicately under Bora’s chin as she did so. “Sorry for messing up your makeup” Siyeon apologized with a whisper, and then she was back, standingly calmly beside Bora as if nothing had happened.

The two stood close like that for a bit, in their own world, savoring the last remnants of éclair, noses cold and sticky. The sweetness in Bora’s mouth felt like a new sensation. It was as if she was having éclairs for the first time again. She knew the richness of the flavor wasn’t just from the expertise of Minji’s baking. Siyeon added another dimension to the experience, and Bora couldn’t imagine any pastry tasting better than this. She relished it.

 _Maybe this is the reason why pastries were created_ , Bora thought. _Maybe I was meant to bake just so I could feed Siyeon again and again._ Feeling warm and reinvigorated, Bora stood straighter beside Siyeon.

The pace of the queue seemed to quicken as more people dropped out of line, the desire for sweets not able to overcome the need to escape the cold boredom. Bora glanced at Siyeon but thankfully she appeared committed to their goal, her stomach growls having subsided. Bora took in the beautiful, mischievous girl, whose otherwise determined composure was only slightly undermined by her occasional shivering. Curious, Bora smiled and asked,

“So how come you’re willing to wait so long for pastries out in the cold?”

Siyeon gave her a cheerful grin before answering, “I owe you one, remember?”

“But...if you didn’t, would you still be out here waiting?”

“I don’t know.” Siyeon shrugged. “I came here kind of out of the blue. I hadn’t even heard of Kim Minji before this, but somehow I got an email newsletter from some blog talking about the opening. I guess it’s a good thing I came though.” 

She turned to give Bora a fond look. “What about you? If you were near the front of the line you must have gotten here pretty early.”

Bora couldn’t help but giggle at this.

“Yeah, if you think getting here at 5 is pretty early”. 

Siyeon’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and this made Bora giggle more. “I’ve just always been a huge fan of Minji, so I knew I had to make it here no matter what.”

“Oh, do you bake?” Siyeon tilted her head inquisitively. 

“Yeah, I do! I’m not the best right now, but some day I want to open my own pastry store.” She hesitated before adding, “Maybe one day, I’ll make it big like Minji.”

To Bora’s relief, Siyeon didn’t laugh at this. Instead, she gave her trademark beaming smile and lightly grabbed Bora’s arm. “One day, I think you will.” She gently shook it. “And I’ll be up early in the morning, even earlier than you, to be there when you open for the first time. I’ll be your number one fan.”

With that, the line moved once again but Bora was too stunned to notice. Siyeon slipped past her to catch up, leaving behind the scent of jasmine and citrus, sweeter than any dessert Bora had ever tasted.

Soon enough, the two had reached the front, and basked in the warmth of the bakery. The hour and a half they spent talking and laughing together had passed so quickly, making Bora crave more time with her.

“Here Bora, you go and give the order. But remember, I’m paying!” Siyeon flashed a smile as she moved to stand slightly behind her, and Bora could feel the heat from Siyeon nestling so close to her. The cashier looked at them expectantly, obviously tired from a long shift on opening day. She didn’t seem to recognize Bora at all, to the girl’s relief.

“Ok! Well, um, can we get a kouign-amann, nutella milk bread, cheesecake slice, pavlova, mousse cake, and a cronut?” 

The employee gave a regretful look. “Sorry, but we’re all out of cronuts for the day. Would you want to try our original croissant?”

Siyeon stifled a disappointed groan when Bora turned to her and suddenly interjected, “Well, what are you doing next weekend?”

Bora was surprised at her own courage, but being in her idol’s bakery with a cute girl by her side had emboldened her. Siyeon looked shocked for a moment before giving Bora an inquisitive grin.

“What are you thinking?”

“Well,” Bora began, “We never got to try the cronuts! Those are Minji’s most iconic pastries, it would be a shame if we waited in line for so long and never got to try the world-renowned, critically-acclaimed, food blogger-praised cronuts!”

Siyeon rolled her eyes at this, fighting but failing to hold back a smile.

“Well, that works with me.” She then pushed Bora aside, swiftly pulling her wallet out of her bag and paying for the order. “The original croissant sounds good to us!”

Herding Bora towards a quaint booth set up in the corner of the bakery, Siyeon quickly set down the lot of items she was carrying, as Bora stood by, too busy admiring her to help. Bora caught a smirk on the taller girl’s face, one which she repaid with a friendly smack to the arm.

For a moment they paused. Siyeon bent down slightly to take a picture of their treats, “before they get destroyed again”, she giggled. Bora shot Siyeon a playful glare, before taking out her phone to do the same. She stood back enough to allow Siyeon to make her way into the shot and quickly took the picture, before lowering her phone to look at Siyeon once more. Siyeon turned her head and flashed Bora a smile, joyfully exclaiming, “Let’s eat!”. 

Bora took a bite of the croissant which immediately melted in her mouth, the soft, flaky layers falling apart with each airy bite. Then came the rich aftertaste from the butter, a light sweetness and a feeling of ascension. She glanced at Siyeon, who appeared deep in thought. But she was not staring at the feast in front of them; rather, she gazed directly into Bora’s eyes. This didn’t alarm Bora or cause her anxiety. Instead, she merely held the croissant to Siyeon’s mouth, enraptured as the latter took a bite. The two finished the pastry like this, taking turns biting into the delicacy, no words, only the occasional nod of approval or contented sigh.

When they finished, they wiped their buttery fingers onto their napkins and leaned back to process the treat they had just devoured before moving onto the next one. 

In the end, they left only crumbs behind. Bora let out a happy squeal. Siyeon snorted, slouching and laying her head on Bora’s shoulder.

“The food coma I’m in right now is unbelievable.” She uttered, her voice barely audible as her eyelids drooped.

“Well, you better be ready to do this again next week,” Bora remarked. Siyeon chuckled lightly.

They sat like that, leaning against one another, placated sighs drowned out by the hum of voices and gentle clicking of plates around them.

Bora unlocked her phone to look at the picture she took earlier. Siyeon beaming, eyes twinkling, long dark hair framing her well defined face. She fit in well: leaning over the sweetly decorated and vividly colored pastries, smiling so vivaciously. It was as if the universe had conspired to keep Siyeon happy, that everything had been made for her to enjoy.

Bora turned to her sleepy Siyeon and rested her head on Siyeon’s. They sat like that for a while, sinking into each other, drifting through clouds of vanilla and sugar.


End file.
